I had a day off during the week I was in Barcelona. So I headed to Montserrat. This is a multipeaked mountain range near Barcelona, but for the most part when people say they are going to Montserrat, they refer to the area where there is a Benedictine abbey, the Santa Maria de Montserrat. That's exactly what I did. I took the train one morning, followed by a yellow cable car, in order to get to the top of the mountain.
It seems to be a popular destination: the train was rather crowded when I went there. And there were also some queues in the cable car. And speaking of the cable car, it was rather scary, I must say. I know it was safe, but really, seeing a small yellow metal cage hanging on a single cable, moving up and down the steep mountain, was just getting on my nerves. Anyway, I did make it safe. But still, I didn't like the sight of it.
I have to say, the location is stunning. I know the cable car can be scary, but nevertheless, the mountain location is fantastic!
There is a monastery complex, but I opted not to check out its interiors. Some of the buildings were temporarily closed to the public when I was there, and the ones that were open were not too interesting for me, at least. I mean, I have seen several churches already, and I didn't feel like checking out another one just because it was on top of a mountain. I opted to go hiking instead, and explore the surroundings.
As you can see, the surrounding areas are amazing. I knew it was wise to bring my hiking shoes, and it was absolutely useful to go through the trails that were cutting through the mountain. The view was fantastic, and it is a place that I'd recommend to others.
After spending a few hours on the mountain, I grabbed a simple lunch at the cafeteria, and then slowly made my way down. I rode the scary cable car one more time, and then caught a connecting train to Barcelona.
